War On Terror News

Joint Patrol Finds Nine IEDs in and Near Kandahar School

ISAF Joint Command

04.29.2010  KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan-international security force recently captured a Taliban cell leader who had emplaced improvised explosive devices in and around an Afghan children's school in Kandahar.

The joint force had received intelligence that a Taliban IED cell was operating around Kuhak, in Kandahar province.

Iran: West Cannot be Trusted With Nuclear Fuel

VOA News 30 April 2010

A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Tehran will never trust the West with its nuclear fuel.

Ali Akbar Velayati told the state-run IRNA news agency that efforts to require Iran to send its nuclear fuel to the West to be enriched is proof of their evil intentions.

RIP SGT Nathan P. Kennedy

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

   The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

   Sgt. Nathan P. Kennedy, 24, of Claysville, Pa., died April 27, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire near Quarando Village, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Ukraine Officials Observe As Airmen Train for MAFFS Mission

145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard

Story by 2nd Lt. Michael Wilber

 

04.29.2010 GREENVILLE, S.C. – Military and civilian officials from Ukraine are observing airmen from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves training for use of the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System at the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center in Greenville, S.C., this week.

The Ministry of Defense of the Ukraine sent two representatives from Joint Operations Command interested in the relationship of military, government and civilian agencies and the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has two pilots and one search and rescue specialist here to document firefighting methods with the MAFFS equipped aircraft.

"We are very interested in the coordination and cooperation of military, government and civilian agencies.

Biology Students Dissect Frogs, Cats at JBB [Iraq]

 

13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

Story by Sgt. John Stimac

 

04.29.2010  JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Service members at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, recently traded their rifles for scalpels.

Distance learning students attending the University of Maryland University College at the Blackjack Education Center at JBB dissected frogs for their biology class April 22, and cats April 24.

ISAF Bomb Disposal Team Clears Afghan Highway

ISAF Joint Command

04.29.2010  KABUL, Afghanistan - ISAF bomb disposal experts from the Joint Force Counter Improvised Explosive Device Taskforce have cleared the road to the market town of Shahzad in southwest Helmand. The road was littered with improvised explosive devices and surrounded by insurgent positions, and was previously impassable for the local population in an area controlled by the Taliban until Operation Moshtarak.

The task took five weeks to complete, with the team painstakingly clearing improvised explosive devices from five and a half kilometres of ground. At each stage, soldiers of Fire Support Company, 1st Battalion the Royal Welsh cleared insurgents from compounds at the sides of the road to provide a circle of protection so the C-IED teams could continue their task.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has Close Encounter with Iranian Military Plane

Official Praises Crew's Response to Iranian Aircraft

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs 

Story by Donna Miles

04.30.2010  WASHINGTON - Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, April 30, credited the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for its disciplined response last week when an Iranian military aircraft flew within 1,000 yards of it in the Gulf of Oman.

An Iranian navy maritime patrol aircraft flew near the carrier, April 21, as it had finished routine replenishment-at-sea operations, a Navy official confirmed on background. The aircraft remained

Navy to Start Training Female Submariners in July

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs 

Story by Lisa Daniel

 

04.29.2010  WASHINGTON - Navy officials on April 29 announced they are moving ahead with plans to integrate women onto submarines beginning in late 2011 or early 2012.

The decision became public after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates notified Congress in February of the Navy's desire to add women to submarines. With a congressional review period complete, Navy officials say they will begin taking applications with a goal of training 19 women, starting in July.

"There are extremely capable women in the Navy who have the talent and desire to succeed in the submarine force," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a press release. "Enabling them to serve in the submarine community is best for

Cavalry Regiment Protects Convoys Traveling to Habur Gate

13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Story by Sgt. John Stimac 04.29.2010

HABUR GATE, Iraq – Soldiers with 1st Platoon, G Troop, Regimental Fires Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) make weekly runs to Habur Gate, Iraq, to provide convoy security for trucks heading out of Iraq into Turkey.

They must safely and efficiently escort trucks filled with supplies and other logistical equipment from Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq, to Habur Gate, Iraq, and still be cognizant of the Share the Road policy, said Pfc. Jonathon M. Knight, a gunner with G Troop and a Monteagle, Tenn., native.

Knight said the policy requires convoys to leave at night, keeping U.S. presence in Iraqi cities to a

IJC Operational Update, April 29

 

ISAF Joint Command Courtesy Story 04.29.2010

KABUL, Afghanistan – Two Haqqani facilitators and two other militants were captured by an Afghan-international security force in Khost province this morning.

A combined force searched a series of compounds near the village of Kurru, in the Terayzai district after intelligence information indicated militant activity. During the search the joint force captured the Haqqani facilitators responsible for the movement of weapons to fighters and improvised explosive

Clinton Blasts Syria Arms Transfers to Hezbollah

VOA  David Gollust | State Department 30 April 2010

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday said Syria's transfer of missiles and other weapons to Lebanon's Hezbollah militia poses grave dangers to the Middle East. She shared a stage in Washington with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak who said Israel would hold the Lebanese government responsible for any new flare-up of fighting along their mutual border.

Clinton had harsh words for the Syrian government, which is reportedly stepping up its already considerable arms shipments to Hezbollah, which the United States considers a terrorist group.

But at the same time she defended the Obama administration's plan to send

Afghan-international Force Kills Armed Individual in Nangarhar

ISAF Joint Command Courtesy Story 04.29.2010

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan-international security force killed one armed individual while pursuing a Taliban facilitator in Nangarhar last night.

The combined force went to a compound near Nazrabad, in the Surkh Rod district, after intelligence information indicated militant activity. During the operation an individual with a weapon was observed adjacent to one of the buildings. The security force repeatedly attempted to get the individual to lower

US Navy Allows Women on Submarines

VOA  Al Pessin | Pentagon 29 April 2010

The U.S. Navy formally announced on Thursday that it will for the first time recruit women into its submarine force.

It has been 20 years since the Navy first allowed women to serve on its surface warfare ships.  But submarines remained off-limits for several reasons.

The attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) makes her way up the Thames River to Submarine Base New London, Connecticut  Photo: USN

The main reason had to do with cramped quarters on the subs, where there is little privacy.  Now the chief of the Navy's task force on women in submarines, Rear Admiral Barry Bruner, says larger, more modern subs have changed that.

"The reason it's available to women is that we can give them privacy," said Admiral Bruner.

Belgium's Parliament Votes to Ban Veils

VOA  Lisa Bryant | Paris 29 April 2010

Belgium's lower house of parliament on Thursday voted in favor of draft legislation banning certain veils sometimes worn by Muslims.  Experts say Belgium could become the first European country to ban the veils.

Lawmakers in Belgium's Chamber of Deputies voted almost unanimously to ban face veils.  Until recently, analysts say, approval in the Belgium Senate seemed assured.  But Christian Democrats and Liberals

US Officials Urge Congress to Support Aid for Pakistan

VOA  Al Pessin 29 April 2010

Senior U.S. officials urged Congress on Thursday to support long-term military and civilian security assistance for Pakistan, which they say has been essential for the U.S.-led fight against global terrorism.  Members of Congress from both political parties were generally supportive of the plan, with some urging faster movement particularly in providing new helicopters for Pakistan's military.  

The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy, told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee the level of importance the Obama administration attaches to defense cooperation with Pakistan.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy (undated photo) Photo: DoD 

"Mr. Chairman, distinguished members, our partnership with Pakistan is fraught with challenges, but it remains vital to our overall goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaida and enhancing stability in a critical region," said Michele Flournoy.

US Commission Names 13 Nations for Violating Religious Freedoms

VOA News 29 April 2010

A new report from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has named 13 countries for severe violations of religious freedom.  

The commission says its mandate is to investigate what it calls human rights hot spots around the world where freedom of religion is, in the words of Thursday's report, obstructed and trampled.

Cover of the annual report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Photo: USCIRF

For egregious violations of religious freedom, the commission cites Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam.

The chairman of the commission is Leonard Leo:

"The annual report documents how, in many countries, religious communities continue to experience severe persecution," said Leonard Leo. "Notably, we have found that in majority-Muslim countries, it is oftentimes those governments that repress the free practice of Islam the most."

Continuing to run for our brothers and sisters who cannot...

White Family Runs Again
by Jon White

As a career Marine, I took to heart "Semper Fidelis" and the Semper Fi Fund exemplifies the intent of that phrase in a manner which I could not ignore. Although my story has brought me to the pages of newspapers (Stars & Stripes), news sites (War On Terror News), and Magazines (Marathon & Beyond - The Fall and Rise of a Leatherneck), my efforts began for myself and my donation drive is to afford other wounded Sailors and Marines the same opportunity I achieved. Personally, I think some find my story more compelling than do I. I was simply a Marine NCO doing what a Marine does; overcoming one more challenge to return to duty. When I was told that I could no longer run,

Painting Their ACUs: Soldiers Release Stress With Paintball

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

Story by Spc. Justin A. Naylor

04.28.2010  FORT HOOD, Texas— Stress can be extremely detrimental to health. Therefore, relieving stress is something that anyone in a dangerous profession should do. If the act of relieving stress also happens to be fun, so much the better.

For Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd BCT, April 28, presented just the stress reliever they were looking for: a full day of covering one another with

Guard Kids Are Different, but Programs Still Available to Them

National Guard Bureau 

Story by Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke

 

04.28.2010  ARLINGTON, Va., – Guard kids differ from active duty kids in only one way: access.

Access to support programs and access to peers who understand what they are going through.

Everything else is the same: missing their parents terribly when they deploy, counting the days until they come home and trying to keep their promise to "stay strong."

RIP SGT Grant A. Wichmann

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

    The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

      Sgt. Grant A. Wichmann, 27, of Golden, Colo., died April 24 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., of wounds sustained March 12 when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire at Out Post Bari Alai, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Welcome Home 8 U.S. Airmen MIA from WWII are Identified RIP

    The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of eight U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been accounted-for and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

      The group remains of Lt. Jack S. M. Arnett, Charleston, W.V.; Flight Officer William B. Simpson, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Tech. Sgt. Charles T. Goulding, Marlboro, N.Y.; Tech. Sgt. Robert J. Stimson, San Bernardino, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Jimmie Doyle, Lamesa, Texas; Staff Sgt. Leland D. Price, Oakwood, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Earl E. Yoh, Scott, Ohio, and the individual remains of Lt. Frank J. Arhar, Lloydell, Pa. were buried today in Arlington National Cemetery. The individual remains of Arnett, Yoh, Doyle and Stinson were buried earlier by their families.

RIP SGT Keith A. Coe

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

    The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

      Sgt. Keith A. Coe, 30, of Auburndale, Fla., died April 27 in Khalis, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Service Members Send Wounded Cyclists Off at White House

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

Story by Ian Graham

 

04.28.2010  WASHINGTON - Men and women in uniform from across the services gathered on the White House's south lawn April 28 to give wounded service members a send-off as they began a bike trip from the nation's capital to Annapolis, Md.

 

PRIDE RIDE

Wounded veterans ride past the crowd on their bicycles and hand bikes on the South Lawn of the White House during the kick-off of the Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride at the White House, Washington, D.C., April 27, 2010. DoD photo by William D. Moss

The White House to the Lighthouse Challenge,

Mothers Urge Iran's President to Bring US Hikers Home

VOA News 29 April 2010

The mothers of the three American hikers detained in Iran are appealing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to bring their children home on his expected trip to the United States.

In a letter to Mr. Ahmadinejad Thursday, the mothers of Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal say the their children are physically ill and so devoid of hope they are contemplating a hunger strike.

The mothers call on the Iranian president to ignore political issues and board a plane for New York with their children.

Baghdad Vote Recount Begins Monday

VOA News 29 April 2010

Iraq's electoral commission says a recount of votes in Baghdad from the March parliamentary elections will begin Monday and last at least two weeks.

The commission announced its timetable Thursday, ten days after saying it had agreed to the recount.  

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked for the recount.  His State of Law alliance said it had uncovered evidence of widespread fraud in five provinces, including Baghdad.  The Iraqi capital accounts for nearly a fifth of Iraq's 325-seat parliament.

UnderSecretary Carr: Military Pay "Competitive With Private Sector"

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs

Story by Lisa Daniel

04.28.2010  WASHINGTON - Military compensation is competing well against the private sector, as evidenced by the high rate of recruitment and retention, a Defense Department official told a Senate subcommittee April 28.

Therefore, the department is focusing on targeted special pays and bonuses as an efficient means to give incentives for people to sign up for hard-to-fill and hard-to-retain specialties, William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee.

Using regular military compensation – basic pay combined with housing and food allowances and federal tax advantages - as a comparison, military members are paid higher than 70 percent of their private-sector peers of similar education and experience, Carr said.

Thundering Third Arrives, Trains to Take Over Operations in Afghanistan

Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs

Story by Lance Cpl. Benjamin Crilly

04.27.2010  CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan – Marines and sailors of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment hit the ground running with Reception, Staging, Onward movement and Integration training here, April 24-25.

Throughout the training, elements of the Thundering Third received an array of classes and conducted practical application directly related to their area of operations.

According to the US Army Transportation School webpage, "RSO&I consists of those essential and interrelated processes in the AO; required to transform arriving personnel and materiel into forces capable of meeting operational requirements."

Despite the fact that the Marines may have had similar training while stateside as part of their pre-deployment training package, these classes are derived from operations conducted by and the experiences of those Marines who they relieve. With this core foundation, Marines learned what worked or did not work for their predecessors, the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, and how to conduct future operations.

With the knowledge from these classes, the Thundering Third becomes

Lynn Discusses Social Media at Facebook Headquarters

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs 

Story by Jim Garamone

04.28.2010  PALO ALTO, Calif. - You could call the Facebook headquarters the "un-Pentagon." The dress is casual, with far more T-shirts than sport coats, and many workers wearing sandals instead of shoes.

A skateboard was parked outside one office. An employee who spotted a group in business suits remarked, "If they're wearing ties, they're not from here."

But Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III fit right in with the employees of Facebook, the ubiquitous social media company. "You're very much a part of our world," Lynn told Facebook employees in the company cafeteria. "We're also very much a part of your world. We use social media just as other organizations do. It's a critical element for us."

The Defense Department depends on social media for

AFG Rocket Attack at Tarin Kowt

No Australian, Afghan or Coalition troops wounded in rocket attack at Tarin Kowt.

Taliban insurgents launched three rockets at the Multi National Base at Tarin Kowt in the early hours of Wednesday the 28th of April.

No Australian personnel were wounded in the rocket attack.

Two rockets missed the base with one landing close to local civilians in Tarin Kowt. There were no reports of injuries to civilians.

The third landed inside the base, but exploded without damaging equipment or wounding coalition soldiers.

Rocket attacks by insurgents remain largely ineffective, although they continues to place the lives of Afghan civilians, Afghan security forces and coalition personnel at risk.

Major League Baseball Supports the Army Mission

Fort Dix Public Affairs Office   Story by Ryan Morton

04.27.2010  Representatives for the Major League Baseball Web site, www.mlb.com, came out to Army Support Activity-Dix April 23, to shoot interviews with Soldiers, which will be used to promote U.S. Army recruitment on its Web site.

"These guys [MLB] reach out to us and provide us additional advertising that we would otherwise have to pay for. The MLB is really reaching out and we really appreciate the support and added value in our marketing campaign," said Ken Walsh, who resides in Brandenburg, Ky., and serves as the direct marketing manager at U.S. Army Assessions Command, Fort Knox, Ky.

The Army buys advertising space with the MLB promoting the "Army Strong" campaign and MLB chipped in to help the Army further by giving the Army $2.2 million, according to Walsh.

Aiding the MLB in their efforts is former MLB relief pitcher Jeff Nelson who

Intelligence Soldiers Train to Defeat IEDs

Fort Dix Public Affairs Office

Story by Ryan Morton

04.27.2010  Soldiers from the 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Detachment 25 will soon deploy from Army Support Activity-Dix to Iraq to help defeat the number one killer of troops and citizens in the country, improvised explosivesd devices.

"We'll work with [explosive ordinance disposal teams] and look at the technical aspect of how the IED is built. We're responsible for collecting forensic evidence and intelligence on pre- and post-blast IED areas," said 203rd MI Bn., Det. 25 sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Salas, from Noblesville, Ind.

"We'll process the information up the chain of command and they'll determine what tactics and procedures need to be done to counter the IEDs to help the Soldiers do their jobs and save lives," he said.

EODs, which are are known by many people as "bomb squads," are organizations that perform the dangerous jobs of explosives disposal using various technologies including

Afghan Air Corps Shows Off for Mujahedeen Victory Day

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class David R. Quillen

04.2802010  KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghan national army air corps demonstrated precision, capability, pride, and a bit of fun when they performed close formations in low level flying above the city of Kabul. The demonstration was conducted as part of the Mujahedeen Victory Day celebration and parade.

"I am very happy today and I know many of my friends and the city is happy too," said Mohammad Yousaf Wafa, crew chief on an Afghan Mi-17 helicopter shortly before takeoff.

The air corps used eight Mi-17 assault helicopters, four Mi-35 attack helicopters, two C-27 transport planes, and one AN-32 fixed wing craft. It was the largest demonstration this year of the skills the Afghan air corps has developed.

Veterans Take Hill With Manchester WWII Park

Fort Dix Public Affairs Office

Story by David Moore

04.28.2010  FORT DIX, N.J., -- While many combat hardened veterans may or may not share their stories, and some may choose to quietly put their past behind them, a group of warriors -many in their 80s and 90s- still had one more hill to take.

On Saturday, April 24, in the Whiting section of Manchester Township, 30-acres of land officially became known as the World War II Veterans Memorial Park. As a result, the World War II veterans have left another legacy.

"Somebody had to do something to remember World War II, otherwise the sacrifice of those who served would have been forgotten," Donald Koos, a D-Day veteran of the 29th Infantry Division's 175 Infantry and a member of the Manchester Township Veterans Advisory committee, said.

At least 4,000 people came together at the Station Road location, with at least a quarter of those in attendance being World War II veterans traveling with

Hamas Accuses Egypt of Using Lethal Gas on Smugglers

VOA  Robert Berger | Jerusalem 29 April 2010

Palestinian smugglers in the Gaza Strip are facing a deadly crackdown from Egypt.

The Islamic militant group Hamas says Egyptian forces pumped gas into a Gaza smuggling tunnel, killing four Palestinians. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, accused Egypt of committing a "terrible crime" and of killing the Palestinian workers "in cold blood."

Marines Man Isolated Patrol Base to Watch Over Known Taliban Hot Spot

Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs

Story by Lance Cpl. Dwight Henderson

04.28.2010  HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan – From inside of a small compound, known as Patrol Base Khodi Rhom, the Marines of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, alongside a section of Afghan national army soldiers, patrol an area once known for large amounts of enemy activity in Garmsir District, Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Marines sleep inside of one-man tents perched on top of cots, some stand post at different corners of the compound. One of the Marines pulls a tab on a unit ration to heat up the squad's breakfast of biscuits, gravy, ham and raspberry swirls-the same breakfast they've been eating the past few days. Some Marines conduct physical training on a makeshift pull-up bar made from a tent pole; they do push-ups and jump rope on a cardboard mat.

On April 20, the Marines, along with their regular duties of post and patrol, had a simple mission; to walk two M-240G machine guns to a nearby observation post known as observation post two.

Normally vehicles would be used to move the machine guns from post to post, but because the road nearby Khodi Rhom had not yet been cleared of roadside bombs, the Marines must move most supplies by foot.

RIP LCpl Thomas E. Rivers Jr.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

    The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

    Lance Cpl. Thomas E. Rivers Jr., 22, of Birmingham, Ala., died April 28 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Human Rights Watch: Torture 'Routine' at Secret Iraqi Detention Facility

VOA  Edward Yeranian | Cairo 28 April 2010

Human Rights Watch says detainees held in a secret prison in Iraq were routinely tortured. The group is calling for a full investigation into the military-run facility. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo:

Human Rights Watch says Iraqi prisoners held at a secret detention facility just outside Baghdad were tortured on a regular basis. The group says Iraqi guards routinely abused the mostly Sunni inmates at a covert military-run prison at the old Muthanna airfield. Samer Muscati of Human Rights Watch says the report is based on interviews with former inmates at the secret prison.

"[They] showed us various scars and injuries, ranging from

Wounded Warriors Get Custom Prosthetics Cases

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs  Story by Judith Snyderman

 

04.27.2010  WASHINGTON, D.C. - The maker of rugged Pelican cases, widely used in the military to protect weapons and computer gear, has launched a program to give custom cases for prosthetics to wounded warriors who have lost limbs.

Retired Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the first cases at a ceremony today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

Pace, who serves as chairman of the board for Pelican Products, said the Pelican for Patriots program comes with no strings attached.

"We just want to be able to give to these great heroes," he said. "It's a small way of saying 'thank you' that will protect prosthetic arms and legs and make their lives a little better."

It is common for those who use prosthetics to have several, either as back-ups or for specific uses. Marine Corps 1st Lt. David Borden said he carries a number of activity-specific legs,

US General Justifies Military Responses To Airline Incidents

VOA  Al Pessin | Washington 28 April 2010

The commander of U.S. military forces in North America defended Wednesday the response by his units and civilian law enforcement organizations to the recent spate of incidents on U.S. airliners. General Gene Renuart said although the recent incidents were not serious, there is a serious threat that officials must continue to deal with appropriately.

General Renuart said there is good coordination between law enforcement agencies and the military, which sometimes sends fighter jets to fly alongside aircraft with incidents on board.  One of Renuart's commands is the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which is a joint operation with Canada.  And he says it was Canadian fighter jets that were put on alert during an incident Tuesday in which

Experts Call for 'Smart' Fight Against Terrorism

VOA  Mike O'Sullivan | Los Angeles 28 April 2010

Terrorism experts say the fight against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups requires a smart strategy against adversaries that have adapted to changing conditions.  A panel at the Milken Institute's global conference looked at successes and challenges in the effort to stay ahead of terrorist organizations.

Reports on the security failures that led to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, cite a lack of coordination among U.S. intelligence agencies as a critical factor that allowed the plot to succeed.  Some critics point to a more recent terrorist attempt as evidence of continued miscommunication among intelligence agencies.   The alleged Christmas Day plot of 2009 was foiled by an alert airline passenger after Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded an airliner bound for Detroit with explosives in his underwear.  The incident followed a warning by Abdulmutallab's father to U.S. officials in Nigeria of his son's ties to extremist organizations in Yemen.  

But retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, the former head of NATO forces in Europe, says information-sharing has